The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, more commonly known as the "Earth Summit", met in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Bringing together more than 178 governments, the Earth Summit’s main outcome was the adoption of Agenda 21 – an action plan for sustainable development.

A follow-up conference, known as "Rio+20", was held in June 2012, also in Rio de Janeiro. More than 190 nations took part in the formal session, whilst more than 50,000 representatives from civil society and business groups took part in a separate "People’s summit". This makes Rio+20 much larger than the original summit, however it has been heavily criticised for not being as decisive or ambitious.

"Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are confronted with a perpetuation of disparities between and within nations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health and illiteracy, and the continuing deterioration of the ecosystems on which we depend for our well-being. However, integration of environment and development concerns and greater attention to them will lead to the fulfilment of basic needs, improved living standards for all, better protected and managed ecosystems and a safer, more prosperous future. No nation can achieve this on its own; but together we can - in a global partnership for sustainable development." Credit

Rio+20 acknowledged a number of global changes that have occurred, for best and worse, since the summit met in 1992. For example, the Rio+20 draft text notes: "1.4 billion people still live in extreme poverty and one sixth of the world’s population is undernourished."

Progress

Information technologies have empowered people

Nations more committed to sustainable development

Setbacks

Multiple interrelated economic and financial crises

Increased stress on natural resources and ecosystems

Volatile energy and food prices

Food insecurity

Climate change

Biodiversity loss

The draft text notes: "despite efforts by Governments and non-State actors in all countries, sustainable development remains a distant goal and there remain major barriers and systemic gaps in the implementation of internationally agreed commitments."

Equipment maintenance, thermostat settings and upgrade can reduce emission by up to 50%

These aims – all of which are necessary for long-term sustainable development – could be achieved by bringing together a range of different actors from business, the public sector and civil society. By working together it is hoped that they will be able to harness the power of technology to transform the world’s energy mix over a 20 year period (2010-2030). This, it is hoped, will create a change for generations to come. Practically speaking, there are seven areas of focus:

An initiative that arose from the focus on distributed electricity solutions, Lighting a Billion Lives aims to bring light to people in rural areas of the developing world. Originating in India – where 360 million people lack access to electricity – it acts to provide solar lights to replace kerosene lamps and candles (Lighting a Billion Lives)

Within the 10 year lifespan of each solar light, up to 600 litres of kerosene will be saved and 1.5 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide will be mitigated against. As well as enabling socio-economic activity beyond dark, there are also health and environmental benefits associated with the cleaner form of energy.

This practical solution fits into the Sustainable Development for All plans because it provides small-scale renewable energy to people living out of reach of a main electricity grid.

Compare "Current CO2 per person" and "Historical CO2 per person". Which measurement should be used when making decisions about sustainable development? Consider who should take responsibility for climate change, given each country’s need for economic development.

Now select "Change in CO2 since 1990". Which countries do you feel have taken their fair responsibility for reducing their CO2 emissions. Consider whether industrialising nations have a right to emit more CO2 if it means that they can develop.

View this image: World map showing each nation’s territory size according to their increase in CO2 emissions between 1980 and 2000. Credit: World Mapper

Use the graphs and raw data (XLS) to create your own analysis of the changing CO2 emissions since 1992.

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